Automotive racing is a competitive sport that has many fans and can be conducted between a variety of wheeled vehicles such as open-wheeled cars, closed-wheeled cars, and trucks (all of which are referred to herein by the term “cars”). However, a problem with current racing is the apparent perception by at least some fans that it can lack excitement. Another problem is that the outcome of a given race might be determined by racing strategy such that a slower car can win a race against a faster car. These two problems are related because passing during a race is a mechanism that allows for a faster car to demonstrate its superiority and passing can make for exciting racing. Yet on some race tracks, it is very difficult for a trailing car to pass a leading car even if the trailing car is faster.
Generally, three conditions must be met when a trailing car successfully passes a leading car. First, the trailing car must be capable of travelling faster than the leading car. Second, the trailing car must be able to gain an overlapped position, i.e., an at least partially side-by-side position, such that the leading car cannot block forward progress of the trailing car. Third, the first and second conditions must exist for a sufficient time such that the trailing car can get around the leading car and assume its position.
As stated above, when passing it is necessary for two cars to be side-by-side at some time as the pass is occurring. However, in current automotive racing, constraints in vehicle design and track configuration don't always allow cars to be side-by-side through a turn. As a result, passing cannot take place through a turn. If a portion of a track includes a sufficiently long straightaway, then it is possible that all three conditions for a successful pass can be met during a lap. However, if there is no such straightaway, then a faster car might be unable to pass a slower car because the faster car must drop behind the slower car as the cars enter a turn.
Therefore, one problem with automotive racing on conventional tracks is that it can be difficult or impossible for a trailing car, even if faster, to maintain an overlapped position on a leading car through a turn. One conventional solution to this problem is for the track to be banked more toward the outside of a turn than toward the inside of a turn. This solution is often not satisfactory because it can be very difficult to form a track with varying degrees of banking and cars have trouble moving between areas of different banking.
Another problem with automotive racing on conventional tracks is that when two or more cars pass through a turn together, an inside car travels a shorter total distance than an outside car. Therefore the outside car must be at least able to travel sufficiently faster than the inside car such that the outside care can maintain the outside position when entering the next straight-away. If the outside position can be maintained into the next straight away, then the pass can be continued into the next straightaway and possibly completed before the next turn begins.
The present invention addresses these problems by providing a track configured such that when a slower vehicle is ahead of a faster car going into a turn, the faster car has the opportunity to at least maintain its position relative to the slower vehicle.